Vanity case



Feb. 6, 1945.

L. ESTERQW VANITY CASE iledJuly 14, 1943 v uvmvroa [co .ZdZeroar BY 4 I Patented Feb. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VANITY CASE Leo Esterow, New York, N. Y.

Application July 14, 1943, Serial No. 494,601

1 Claim.

This invention relates to vanity cases and similar containers, and particularly to a type of case which can be readily constructed from wood, plastics, or similar materials. One of the objects of the invention is to provide a suitable closure means for a case of this character, and by means of which the case is securely held closed under all conditions of use so that inadvertent spilling out of the powder or other contents of the case will be avoided.

A further object of the invention is to provide, and particularly in a container of wooden or plastic construction, a closure. of simple design and of few parts and requiring a minimum of manufacturing operations and no drilling or perforating of the case.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein several embodiments of the invention are shown, Fig. 1 is a face view of a vanity case or compact, constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the case, showing the closure means therefor; Fig. 3 is an end view of the case; Fig. 4 is an enlarged front view of the 010- sure means; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the forward portion of the body of the case and its cover, showing the cover slightly raised and the closure elements separated, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view through another embodiment of the invention.

With reference to the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive. Therein, I indicates the body or containing chamber of the case. Secured thereto by means of the hinge 3 is the cover 2 which fits closely around the upstanding flange I4 located on the side of the body I of the case.

The cover member 2 is provided with a front wall 4 and secured to the front face of said wall by adhesive or other suitable means of attachment, is the locking member 5. Said locking member 5 is in the form of a strip secured fixedly and fiatwisely to the outer surface of the wall 4 and having its lower end dependent below the lower edge of the wall 4 of the cover member. Said downwardly-projecting lower end of the locking member 5 is rounded, as indicated at 6, to enable it to snap into engagement with a substantially shallow groove 8 formed in the outer face of the front wall I of the body portion I of the case, and extending, for convenience in construction, for the full length of said front wall With the arrangement shown, closure of the case is easily effected by simple downward pressure exerted on the cover 2, this causing the rounded surface 9 of the downwardly-extending part of the locking member 5 to ride over the ing member 5 rests in the groove 8 and holds the cover closed until raised, by the exertion of sufficient manual lifting force on the cover, to move the locking member past the portion I5 on the front wall of the body portion I.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the locking member I I is grooved as indicated at I0, and secured to and extending longitudinally of the outer face of the front wall I is a rounded strip or bead I2 adapted to be caused to enter into snap engagement with the groove II] in the locking. member I I as said locking member is forced over and past the strip by movement of the cover to closed position. In this arrangement of the invention, the dependent portion of the locking member is rounded similarly to the embodiment first described to enable the locking member to smoothly ride over the strip I2 and bring said strip into a snap engagement with the groove I0.

While I have described the case and closure means therefor as being constructed of wood or plastic or similar material, it is obvious that the same may be made of metal or any other material. suitable for the purpose and that many changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. I

What I claim is:

A vanit case or similar container having a body portion, a cover hinged thereto, the cover having a relatively non-flexing closure strip rigidly attached to and projecting forwardly from its front wall and provided with a dependent rounded part extending below the lower edge of said front wall and across the plane thereof, the body portion having a front wall with a face flush with the face of the front wall of the cover, the body portion having a continuous groove in its front face parallel with its upper edge and spaced therefrom into which the dependent part of the closure strip fits when the cover is closed, said closure strip also constituting a projecting finger piece for opening the cover said closure strip and the adjacent parts of. the cover and case having sufficient resiliency to permit the rounded part of said strip to snap into the groove when the cover is closed.

LEO ESTEROW. 

